Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention

Of the world's coastal seas, the Baltic Sea is warming the fastest. (EPA Images pic)
HELSINKI : Decades of pollution and climate change have caused fish to disappear from the Baltic Sea at an alarming rate, with the EU on Thursday vowing to make the sea an 'urgent priority'.
Unveiling its road map to protect Europe's seas, the European Ocean Pact, Brussels announced a summit on the state of the Baltic Sea in late September.
The semi-enclosed sea is surrounded by industrial and agricultural nations Germany, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the three Baltic states.
Connected to the Atlantic only by the narrow waters of the Danish straits, the Baltic is known for its shallow, low-salinity waters, which are highly sensitive to the climate and environmental changes that have accumulated over the years.
'Today, the once massive Baltic cod stocks have collapsed, herring stocks in several sub-basins are balancing on critical levels, sprat recruitment is at a record low and wild salmon stocks are in decline,' Swedish European MP Isabella Lovin, rapporteur for the EU committee of fishing, warned in a report, calling the situation 'critical'.
The Baltic Sea is home to some of the world's largest dead marine zones, mainly due to excess nutrient runoff into the sea from human activities on land – a challenge the sea has long grappled with.
The runoff has primarily been phosphorus and nitrogen from waste water and fertilisers used in agriculture, as well as other activities such as forestry.
It causes vast algae blooms in summer, a process known as eutrophication that removes oxygen from the water, leaving behind dead seabeds and marine habitats and threatening species living in the Baltic.
Today, agriculture is the biggest source of nutrient pollution.
Marine biodiversity in the relatively small sea has also deteriorated due to pollution from hazardous substances, land use, extraction of resources and climate change, according to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM).
'The state of the Baltic Sea is not good,' Maria Laamanen, a senior advisor at the Finnish environment ministry, told AFP.
Climate change poses 'a massive additional challenge' for the marine environment, she said.
Of the world's coastal seas, the Baltic Sea is warming the fastest.
A 2024 study said sea surface and sea floor temperatures have increased by 1.8°C and 1.3°C in the Finnish archipelago in the northern Baltic Sea, in the period from 1927 to 2020.
The consequences of rising temperatures already affect species, while increased rainfall has led to more runoff from land to sea.
Better waste water treatment and gypsum treatment of agricultural soil, as well as an expansion of protected marine areas in Finland, have had a positive effect on the maritime environment, according to Laamanen, who said environmental engagement had grown in recent years.
'The situation would be much worse without the measures already implemented,' she said.
In her report, Lovin called for an ambitious reform of fisheries, with stronger attention paid to environmental and climate change impacts.
The report also questioned whether the Baltic could continue to sustain industrial-scale trawling, and suggested giving 'priority access to low-impact fisheries and fishing for human consumption'.
The head of the Finnish fishermen's association (SAKL) Kim Jordas said eutrophication was to blame for the declining fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, not overfishing.
'Looking at cod for example, it is entirely due to the state of the Baltic Sea and the poor oxygen situation,' Jordas told AFP.
In Finland, the number of commercial fishermen has been declining, with a total of around 400 active today.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Sinar Daily

6 days ago

• Sinar Daily

Germans leave parental home early, but men take longer to move out

People tend to live at home the longest in Croatia, where they were 31.3 years old when leaving, according to the figures. This was followed by Slovakia and Greece. 15 Jun 2025 06:00pm A man rests near a fountain on the central Roemer Square in the city of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) BERLIN - Young people in Germany tend to move out of their parents' home early compared to other European Union (EU) countries, although men take longer to leave the nest, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. New figures released by the federal statistical agency showed that the average age for Germans to leave their parents' home in 2024 was 23.9 - significantly below the EU-wide average age of 26.2 years of age. On average, they were 24.6 years old when moving out, while women were 23.1 years old. - AFP file photo Citing calculations made by the EU's statistical office Eurostat, the agency said young people move out the earliest in Finland, where they are 21.4 years old on average, followed by Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France. People tend to live at home the longest in Croatia, where they were 31.3 years old when leaving, according to the figures. This was followed by Slovakia and Greece. German men take longer to leave their parents' home than women do. On average, they were 24.6 years old when moving out, while women were 23.1 years old. Among male 25-year-olds, 33.8 per cent still lived with their parents in 2025, compared to just 22.4 per cent among 25-year-old women. - BERNAMA-dpa More Like This

The Star

13-06-2025

• The Star

Community-based approach to tackle child labour in Sabah plantations

KOTA KINABALU: Efforts to protect children in Sabah's oil palm plantations from exploitation and to ensure they receive the education they deserve are showing promising results, yet much more remains to be done. In conjunction with World Day Against Child Labour (June 12), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and European Union (EU) have renewed their call for sustained and coordinated efforts to end child labour in Malaysia, particularly in Sabah, where nearly 20,000 children were working in plantations according to the last national survey in 2018. 'Child labour robs children of their right to safety, education, and a better future. On this day, we are reminded that collective action is key to ensuring no child is left behind,' said EU Delegation to Thailand's head of cooperation, Tom Corrie. He added that child labour is deeply rooted in poverty, limited access to education, and entrenched social norms. In a joint statement on Friday (June 13), the ILO and Unicef, with support from the EU, stressed their commitment to tackling the issue through community-based solutions that prioritise education, family well-being, and meaningful opportunities for youth. ALSO READ: Unicef, ILO and EU launch joint programme to address child labour in Sabah A dialogue titled "Generasi Sang Pemimpi: Sama-sama menentang buruh kanak-kanak" (Generation of Dreamers: United against child labour) was held in Tawau on Thursday to explore ways of empowering young people to combat child labour and expand access to education. The event highlighted that over 150 children and youth in the area have benefitted from vocational and life skills training designed to provide alternative pathways beyond plantation work. In addition, more than 220 smallholders have taken part in awareness sessions focused on child rights, the importance of education, and the long-term harm caused by child labour. Another initiative, the Tuai Cerita Fellowship, is empowering 15 local content creators to advocate for children's rights through storytelling. These efforts are supported by local partners, including Project Liber8, Anak, and Global Shepherds. To guide long-term action, a comprehensive study led by the Social Policy Research Institute (SPRI) is underway to identify barriers children face in accessing essential services, particularly education. The findings will inform a strategic roadmap for collaboration among government, industry and civil society. 'These actions show that Malaysia is committed to ending child labour. But we must continue pushing forward. "The private sector and workers' organisations have a crucial role to play in ensuring their supply chains are free from child labour," said ILO deputy regional director for Asia and the Pacific, Tuomo Poutiainen. This year also marks three decades since Malaysia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a timely reminder of the nation's pledge to protect every child's right to education, safety, and a childhood free from exploitation. Looking ahead, the ILO and Unicef are calling for increased investment in social protection systems, greater access to quality education, especially in rural and underserved communities, and the promotion of decent work for adults and youth. 'Child labour is not just a legal or policy issue … it is a human issue. It denies children their right to simply be children. We must build a world where every child is heard, protected, and given the full opportunity to reach their potential,' said Unicef representative in Malaysia, Robert Gass. As the world marks the Day Against Child Labour, the message from Sabah is clear: no child should have to choose between survival and school.

Malay Mail

07-06-2025

• Malay Mail

Missing merluza: Chile's battle to save its favourite catch

CHILE, June 8 — Before setting sail for the South Pacific, Chilean fisherman Rodrigo Gallardo blesses himself to invoke heavenly protection and luck in his pursuit of an increasingly elusive catch: hake. Strong winds make for a choppy seven-nautical-mile (13 kilometer) voyage from the port of Valparaiso to deep waters that decades ago were teeming with Chile's favorite fish. But several hours later, when Gallardo reels in a longline studded with sardines (these small fry are used as bait) just a single hake has bitten. 'In the past, the hold was completely full,' the 46-year-old lamented. The South Pacific hake, or merluccius gayi, provides a living for some 4,000 small-scale fishermen in Chile, a country with over 6,000 kilometers of coastline, which has a voracious appetite for 'merluza'. But the attraction for cod's more affordable cousin is proving fatal. Along central Chile's traditional fishing heartland, more and more boats are returning to port with empty holds as overfishing and climate change decimate hake stocks. In the past two decades, Chile's hake population has declined by 70 per cent according to the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP). Gallardo, 46, blames years of regulations that benefitted commercial 'bottom' trawlers, which use drag nets to scoop up huge amounts of deep-water fish, like hake, depleting ocean stocks. Commercial fisheries, for their part, blame illegal fishing by small-scale fishermen like Gallardo. Regulations fall short Chile has been fighting a high stakes battle against overfishing for years. With several species in severe decline by the early 2010s, from hake to jack mackerel and jumbo squid, the government introduced annual biomass (weight) quotas designed to determine sustainable fishing levels. Chile also designated over 40 per cent of its waters as Marine Protected Areas, where fishing is restricted, and signed up to the United Nations High Seas Treaty on protecting marine biodiversity. A decade on, the populations of some species, such as sardines, cuttlefish and horse mackerel — Chile's biggest fish export — have begun to recover. The hake numbers, however, continue to make for grim reading. An IFOP study from 2024 showed a 17 per cent drop in the biomass of hake stocks compared to the previous year. Drop in the ocean Rodrigo Catalan, conservation director of the Chilean chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, blames a mix of 'illegal fishing, over-exploitation and climate change' for making hake increasingly scarce. In 2023, authorities seized 58 tons of illegal hake, the second-largest seizure by species after anchovies. The authorities suspect it's just a drop in the ocean. Because hake is usually caught close to shore, it's easy to quickly reel it in without being noticed. Much of the illegal catch winds up for sale in small quantities on markets, which also makes it difficult to detect, according to the National Fisheries Service. Experts say climate change is also wreaking havoc with fish stocks. Alicia Gallardo, a researcher at the University of Chile, said that rising sea temperatures was causing hake to migrate further south in search of colder currents, and was also affecting reproduction rates. Too many nets, too few fish Having to share an ever-shrinking catch — the annual quota for hake now stands at 35,000 tons, down from 118,000 in 2001 — has caused tempers in Chile to flare. 'There aren't enough fish for so many fishermen,' Liesbeth van der Meer, director of the ocean conservation NGO Oceana remarked. Small-scale fishermen in Valparaiso clashed with police during three days of protests in March over delays in adopting a bill that boosted their share of the catch quota for hake, among other species. Chile's biggest commercial fishery PacificBlu threatened to close shop, with the loss of 3,200 jobs, if its share was cut but later revoked the threat. The bill, which increases the quota for artisanal fishing from 40 per cent to 45 per cent, was finally adopted by the Senate this week. — AFP